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Friday, September 27, 2013

This week we have been studying how to decide on the main idea of a story. The main idea is often hard for students to grasp as it is not usually stated in a story. Students need to think critically about what everything was about and look at the title and first/last sentences in the story. They were told to look at their hands to help them visualize this process. Their palm is the main idea and their fingers are the supporting details. For example, if the main idea of a story is that they had a tasty lunch, the 'tasty lunch' is the palm of their hand. Their fingers would be the details that prove and support the good lunch such as: pizza, favorite drink, or whatever makes a good lunch. Students are asked to find the main idea and supporting details on every reading test. Finding supporting details is a skill that requires them to GO BACK..... GO BACK..... GO BACK into the text. Yes, it takes more time, but is worth finding the correct answer. Encourage your child to discuss the main idea of their readings to you. Ask for details to prove their thinking. Here are some practice sites for finding the main idea and details in a story. These are great tools for your child to use to help increase their reading comprehension. You can log these stories and they can count for your daily 20 minutes of reading as wellFind the Main Idea

Wednesday, September 18, 2013

Don't forget that we have Open House from 6:30-7:30 in our classroom jungle this Thursday, Sept. 19th. Please come and take a peek at your child's daily schedule and learn about the things that happen in our room. We will be explaining homework, grades, assignments, and expectations. We'd love to visit with you! The student's will take you on hunt for certain items in our room and also grade you on your schoolwork. This is a great opportunity to see the kind of work your child is producing. See you soon!